Excerpted From Alaska Department of Fish and Game Technical Paper No. 159, April 1988

Seasonal Round of Hunting and Fishing Activities

The following section describes a generalized annual round of harvest activities for the Angoon Tlingit. Timing of the salmon run and subsequent harvest is one of the key times in the yearly lifecycle of the Angoon Tlingit. Oberg (1973) wrote: "The Tlingit year begins with the July moon. This is the month when the great schools of salmon first appear in the rivers, when the period of abundant and easily obtained food supply begins." Thus, it is appropriate to begin the summary of the years' activities with the summer months of salmon fishing.

July-September

The first salmon to return to the streams near Angoon is the sockeye. The sockeye run often begins as early as the middle of June and lasts through July into August. The first sockeye harvested are generally eaten fresh, but much of the remaining sockeye salmon are preserved by smoking or drying for later consumption. Many Angoon residents combine smoke drying with freezing and canning their salmon for later use.

The sockeye are typically followed by returns of pink and chum salmon. The chum salmon has both an early return and a late return. They sometimes last through the latter part of November. Pink salmon are found in abundance as they return to spawn in numerous shallow creeks throughout the area. The last salmon that is harvested in fresh water is the coho (silver) salmon that can be found in some areas in late July or August, but is most frequently caught by Angoon residents in late September through November.

The return of salmon to the streams coincides with a return of many other species including those that rely on the salmon for food. Crab, halibut, trout, and other fish return to shallow waters of the bays around Angoon in order to feed on spawned out salmon and their eggs. These species are easily harvested while concentrated in the shallows. The harbor seal is also drawn into shallow water to feed on salmon. Seal hunting during summer is an activity that most often takes place in conjunction with other activities including salmon fishing. It also takes place with deer hunting during the fall and winter hunting season.

During the late summer, before the fall frost, deer occupy the alpine areas around Angoon. The Angoon hunter frequently starts the hunting season with one or two hunts in the alpine. The hunting parties are often relatively large, with as many as five to eight hunters in a party. The hunt will last anywhere from one to three days. The alpine areas are open, and the deer can be spotted at a distance. Alpine hunting for deer also provides and opportunity to harvest grouse often found in flocks in these areas.

Waterfowl hunting starts the first of September and lasts through the middle of December with few exceptions. Canada geese, mallards, pintails, and assorted other common ducks are taken. This hunting takes place within the confines of fall hunting season, although spring waterfowl hunting is common in the memory of many Angoon residents. Local hunters cite restrictive regulations as the reason for the fact that waterfowl are no longer hunted in the spring. Some hunting continues into January and February, particularly for ducks and geese.

Berry harvests begin in mid to late July and may last through October. The majority berry picking occurs in August and September. Species most often utilized are salmonberries, huckleberries, thimble berries, and blueberries.

October-December

Although not as productive as summer, the winter months of October, November, and December are still an important harvest time for Angoon residents. In October, the fishing for coho is at its peak, along with harvesting crab, seal, and waterfowl. Deer hunting now competes for the active harvester's remaining time. Deer are generally down in the woods and muskeg by the time snow starts to fall; by December, many deer are harvested on the beaches (George and Kookesh 1983).

Harvesting shellfish, particularly clams and cockles, also occurs in fall months due to extreme equinox tides and the belief that harmful "red tides" are no longer prevalent. Other ocean resources that are available for harvest in fall include chum salmon, halibut, and other marine fish. Much of this harvest is consumed fresh.

The few trappers in Angoon begin the trapping season in December and trap through January. A portion of one's fish catch may go toward trap bait. Fur trapping was once a lucrative business prior to the 1970s. In more recent years, trappers have received only modest returns from considerable effort, so trapping has decreased with the price of fur. Higher marten prices in the last year may reverse this trend.

January-March

January is the month when hunting, fishing and gathering activities have reached low ebb for the year, but still many people are active. Some Angoon fishermen harvest king salmon, halibut, and other marine fish. In recent years, the extended deer season has allowed taking deer through January. The majority of harvesting activity in winter involves taking shellfish, mostly clams, cockles, and black gumboots.

Late February and early March is the time for harvesting Dolly Varden, an activity that predominantly involves young people. The trout are said to arrive at the mouth of the salmon streams at this time of year to feed on the young out migrating pink and chum salmon.

March is the time of year when herring return to spawn. People of Angoon, like many other Tlingits in Southeastern Alaska, wait with anticipation for the herring to deposit their spawn on intertidal and nearshore kelp and on hemlock branches placed in intertidal areas as a spawning substrate. Herring spawn in the Angoon area has been relatively small in recent years compared to the spawn that occurs in Sitka Sound, so only a few local people currently harvest herring eggs near Angoon. Many Angoon residents travel to the Sitka area to participate in the larger herring egg harvest. After spawning, herring still may be found in marine waters near Angoon where they are often caught with hook and line or nets for bait and for home use.

The herring that return to the bays near Angoon also attract king salmon, so early salmon fishing begins at this time. Spring has been found to be one of the most productive times for catching king salmon. Angoon fishermen fish for spring kings in the bays along the shores of Chatham and Peril Straits.

Blue grouse, or hooters, are heard in the woods throughout the area around Angoon during the months of March and April; at this time, many hunters begin to hunt these birds.

April-June

The harvest of king salmon for local use may last until July and is probably the activity that takes up most of the time of active harvesters during spring months. An occasional deer is taken by a few of the fishermen while fishing for king salmon.

June is probably the only time the Tlingit does not hunt the seal because at this time they are having their pups. The Tlingit name for this time of the year means "calm waters," and in the words of one Tlingit elder, "...even the weather recognized the seals are having their pups" (personal communication:Jimmie A. George, Sr.).

Traditionally, seagull eggs were harvested during June. The Angoon Tlingit used to have to venture out to the outer coastal waters in order to harvest seagull eggs. Time constraints and the expense of travel are probably the two main reasons that the annual seagull egg harvest has been more sporadic in recent years.

The major seaweed harvest occurs generally during May and June. Black seaweed and red sea ribbons are collected in large quantities and dried for later use.

Year-round Harvest of Species

There are a few species available year-round and consequently are harvested most of the year by Angoon residents. These are king salmon, halibut, herring, cod, red snapper, and harbor seal. Weather conditions may be constraints on harvesting these species, but their availability makes them desirable sources of fresh food, especially in winter months when other wild foods may be scarce. . . .

Giving and Receiving Resources

Another important aspect of the Angoon subsistence economy is sharing foods among households. Sharing food resources is an important part of social and cultural dynamics in Angoon. . . . Land mammals (deer) were harvested by 60.5 percent of the households, with 50 percent of the sample reporting giving away deer meat. Many of the respondents also reported giving away marine invertebrates and fish other than salmon (44.7 percent and 50.0 percent of households, respectively). Berries and plants also appear to be shared by a large portion of the population. The significance of the use of harbor seal is reflected in the fact that even though the percentage of households harvesting seals was reported to be 15.8 percent, seal was widely shared either by the original hunter or by those who had themselves been given seal meat, or both. The resources that appear to be given away the least are marine plants, birds, and eggs (Many people reported receiving marine plants; however it would appear that at least a few seaweed harvesters did share seaweed widely in the community).

Information on receiving foods from other households provides another view of the distribution network. "Fish other than salmon" (composed primarily of marine species including halibut) is the category that the greatest number of households (71.1 percent) reported receiving from others. Other categories showing high levels of receiving were marine invertebrates at 57.9 percent and land mammals at 47.4 percent. The remaining categories of marine plants, salmon, marine mammals, berries and plants were reportedly received by less than 10 percent of all households.

These findings suggest the general subsistence pattern in Angoon involves high levels of household participation in harvest and use of a wide variety of locally available food species. Marine invertebrates, other fish and deer are the most widely shared species, although all species are shared among households to some degree. Key respondent interviews revealed that some processed foods, such as berries and smoked salmon may be shared most often along kinship lines. Some resources, such as halibut and seal, are given away by a large percentage of harvesting households, but they are received by a smaller percentage. Other resources, such as salmon and deer, appear to be given away by as many households as receive them.

The Angoon resource sharing network is both extensive and complex. Additional data analysis beyond the scope of this study could illustrate the dynamics of communal sharing of foods in greater detail. Quantities of foods shared and relationships of those who share would be particularly interesting areas of study. Sharing foods in fall at "Indian parties" involves nearly all Angoon households, as well as members of other communities. . . .